Gadget lockdown

Giving an iOS device, be it an iPad, iPhone or iPod touch to a child can be an educational experience — for the both of you.

The child will find plenty of apps to learn from and play with, and for parents, you’ll learn how quickly a child might find himself on a website or buying apps when he shouldn’t be.

To avoid any surprise bills, or prevent any unwanted content from appearing on the device, it is important to enable parental controls, or restrictions, on the device.

To do so, launch the Settings app and select “General.” Scroll down until you find “Restrictions” and tap on it. Enable restrictions, which requires you to set a passcode, and then disable any services and set age limits for the various apps and services available.

Pro tip: Disable in-app purchases and set the “require password” setting to “immediately.” This will all but eliminate surprise bills and charges.